Rest Stop
by AnimationNut
Summary: May, Yoki, Marcoh and Scar pause at a small town before splitting up to go to the North. May and Yoki run off, Marcoh has a run-in with some young thieves and Scar wonders why he puts up with the lot of them.


**I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.**

 **Rest Stop**

At the end of the sloping, grassy hill was a small town, the muted sounds of automobiles, radios and intermingled chatter drifting along with the gentle breeze. Scar stood rigidly at the top of the hill, staring down at the village with calculating red eyes. It was the last town before their split-off point, in which he and Yoki would divert and hopefully lead the tailing military astray, while May Chang and Dr. Tim Marcoh fled to the North, where they would eventually rendezvous.

It was as good a place as any to rest and restock their diminishing supplies. Kimblee and his men had yet to make an appearance and Scar suspected that they had yet to have an idea of what they might be planning. This was their small window of opportunity before events once more went to hell.

He glanced over his shoulder, towards his travelling companions, three people whom he would have never imagined himself travelling with in his life. But here they were, a little girl, her strange cat and two former members of the military (one an alchemist and the other an expert on mines and mining towns) following him as their leader.

"Is this where we're stopping?" asked May curiously, peering down at the quaint village below. Her stomach rumbled ever so slightly and she was eager to have a proper meal again. It seemed like forever since the last one.

"Maybe," said Scar curtly. He turned his intense gaze to Yoki, whose slumped posture hastily straightened under his scrutiny. "What town is this?"

"Azura, I believe," answered Yoki immediately. "Though I've never been myself."

"I don't think the military would find us here so quickly," voiced Marcoh. "There are plenty of smaller villages in the surrounding area that they may focus on."

"While that may be, we cannot linger," said Scar shortly. "We will restock and eat. Then we will move on."

He received three nods of understanding and the foursome made their way down the hillside. Scar moved the hood of his cloak lower over his scarred face, muscles tense as they moved through the dirt streets.

"Marcoh and I will get some supplies," grunted Scar. "You two stay here."

"Sir," said Yoki quickly, and May gave a slight pout but offered no rebuttal.

The two disappeared around the corner and May let out a disappointed sigh. "Guess the food will have to wait."

"Don't see how we're going to get it," muttered Yoki, stretching his thin, weary limbs above his head. "We don't exactly have any money." A slight pulse of guilt ran through him when the girl's face fell. "But I'm sure Master Scar will figure something out."

This brightened her spirits. "Yeah!" she said cheerfully. "He always does." Inquisitive eyes roamed the street they were on, watching as people milled to and fro. A sudden, sugary scent assaulted her nostrils that almost sent her salivating. It was a scent she had never smelled before, but then again, most of the food in Amestria was food they did not have in Xing, and vice versa.

"Do you smell that?" she asked eagerly, bouncing on her toes. Xiao-Mei made a happy sound, her little nose lifting up to get a better whiff.

"Smell what-?" started Yoki, but cut himself off when the young princess took off running in her swift, stealthy manner. "Hey!" he cried. "You can't just run off like that!"

Knowing Scar would have his head if he let the trouble-prone girl out of his sight, Yoki hastened after her.

 _Little brat. Whatever she smells, the food better be good!_

…

Stepping out of the small, family-run medicinal herb shop, Marcoh shifted the strap of his leather satchel higher onto his shoulder. He took a quick glance around but did not see the form of Scar lurking about. Figuring he was still doing his own gathering, Marcoh went to the spot where he expected Yoki and May to be, only to find them gone.

For the briefest of moments, he was worried that the military had in fact caught up to them and taken his two companions away. But the shop he'd been in wasn't at all far from where they had left Yoki and May and there had been no sounds of a struggle. Yoki would most definitely never go quietly and Amestrian soldiers were really no match for May's skills.

"Where did they head off to?" he wondered aloud.

But he didn't get a chance to speculate. There was a sudden loss of weight from his right shoulder, causing him whip around in time to spot two children darting off with his satchel, the cut leather strap falling uselessly to the ground.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, rushing after them. "Come back here this instant!"

The smaller of the two boys gave a tiny squeak of fear, but a firm shove by his brother spurred him on. Though they were small and quick, their speed did not make up for the difference in strides and Marcoh caught up to them in a skinny alley.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you stealing is wrong?" demanded Marcoh, an iron grip on both of the struggling boys.

"We're sorry, mister!" cried the small one, tears building up in his green gaze. "Please let us go! We'll give you your stuff back!"

"Shut up, Matty!" said the other in forceful tone. "We need this!"

The desperate undertone told Marcoh all he needed to know. He unleashed his grip, causing the two to stumble backwards in surprise. In a gentle voice, he asked, "Is someone injured or ill? I'm a doctor. I can help."

Hope sparked in Matty's eyes and he tugged on his brother's sleeve eagerly. "Daniel, he's a doctor!"

"I heard him!" snapped Daniel, though his posture relaxed. "Yeah," he muttered. "Our mom. She's been sick for a while. We don't have enough money for a doctor…not that it matters, since there isn't a local one. We have to travel or call for one. The guy at the shop is a cheap jerk, so we can't even afford the basic herbs."

"If you'd like, I can check on your mother, see what I can do."

"Please!" exclaimed Matty, grabbing onto the doctor's hand. "Let's go!"

They walked to the end of the alley and turned left, where there was a house at the end of the street. They stepped through the door into the low-ceilinged abode. In the main room was a cot, where a pale brunette woman was resting. Tired hazel eyes turned to stare at the approaching trio and she asked weakly, "What's happened?"

"He's a doctor," said Matty, kneeling by his mother's bedside.

"But we can't afford-"

"I need no payment," said Marcoh smoothly. "I am glad to assist you in any way I can."

"Thank you," she whispered gratefully. "It must be our lucky day."

As the doctor began taking herbs from the satchel and examining the sick woman, Matty tilted his head to the side and asked the question that'd been burning in his throat since he laid eyes on the man. "What's wrong with your face?"

Daniel flinched and swatted his brother's shoulder. "Matty!" he hissed, face flaming with mortification.

"Matthew, how rude of you!" his mother rebuked, her displeasure clear. "He's been so kind as to offer his services-"

"No, it's fine," soothed Marcoh. "Truth is, it's a long story, but I think perhaps I am a better man for having this happen to me. I am only surprised I did not frighten you when we first encountered."

"Ah, it's not something we're a stranger to," muttered Daniel, rubbing the back of his neck. "Doesn't mean you're a monster or anything."

"Sorry," piped up Matty, subdued. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"It's quite alright. Why don't you boys help me make the medicine for your mother?"

…

"I found it!"

Yoki barely managed to catch up to May, who had found the sweet dessert resting on the window sill of a hut. He shot out a hand and grabbed the girl by the shoulder before she could get her hands on the metal pie dish, its sweet scent almost irresistible.

"You can't just take the pie," snapped Yoki, glancing around them warily. "Especially when there's people around," he added in a low voice.

May faltered, turning to look up at him with narrowed eyes. "Didn't you steal, Mr. Yoki? That's why you got kicked out of the military."

"You weren't even there! Don't speak of what you don't know, audacious brat!"

"Well, still!"

"I didn't steal, I swindled," said Yoki with a scowl. "There's a difference."

"Then you take this pie!"

"I'm not taking the stupid pie! We're in enough trouble without adding anymore infractions."

"I doubt one pie is going to make a difference."

They glared at each other for a moment. Soon the absurdness of their argument reached them and May burst into giggles while Yoki cracked a slight smile. "Perhaps not, but we're still not taking the damn pie. If I'm going to steal anything, it's going to be money so I can buy myself a steak. Maybe we'll find an apple so you can use your magic to turn it _into_ a pie."

May let out an undignified snort, one that would most certainly be looked upon with appall by the members of her clan if they were present. "Very funny."

Her stomach gave a particular loud rumble and she let out a soft whimper. Xiao-Mei let out a tiny whine, curling up against her mistress' neck. "Well," muttered Yoki, "let's find Master Scar. Before your little odd cat eats us all."

"Oh, hello there!"

The two turned their heads in surprise to see a woman leaning out over the edge of her window sill, the pie in her hands. "We're not lurking!" blurted Yoki. "We were just on our way!"

"We smelled your pie and followed the scent," said May, ever blunt. "It looks delicious!"

"Why, thank you! It's an old family recipe."

This time it was Yoki's stomach that growled, rather loudly. The woman's smile dipped slightly and she asked in concern, "You're travellers, right? When's the last time you ate?"

"It's been a while," admitted May.

"We can't have that. Here." The woman extended the cooled apple pie. "Please, enjoy."

"Oh, no, we can't-" began May, but she halted when Yoki eagerly snatched the pie with a cheerful "Thank you very much!"

"I insist. I have another one cooking, so I won't miss this one."

With a wide smile, May dipped into a bow. "Thank you!"

She waved after the woman before scampering after the departing Yoki. "You're gonna share that."

"Don't order me around, little brat."

"I'm a princess! You can't call me a brat, Mr. Yoki!"

"We're not in Xing, girl. Here, you are very much a brat."

"Oh, whatever." May huffed and crossed her arms. "Let's go and find Mr. Scar and Dr. Marcoh."

…

It was not necessarily surprising when Scar discovered that his companions were not where he had left them. But it was certainly no less irritating. With a scowl, the Ishvalan hefted his satchel of provisions onto his back and started the search, first checking to see if there were any signs of a struggle.

The prickles of unease in his chest unsettled him. It had been a long, _long_ time since he felt concern for another person, let alone two Amestrians and a Xingese princess. He couldn't even properly explain why he cared where they were, or why he cared at all.

But he did, and it was further evident by the flare of relief he felt when the three arrived-May and Yoki coming from the right path and Marcoh stepping around the corner, satchel in hand. Crossing his arms over his chest, he rumbled, "Where the hell have you been?"

"Sorry, Scar," said Marcoh with a bow of his head. "I got caught up with some young boys who tried to steal my supplies. Their mother is sick, so I offered my assistance."

 _Typical,_ thought Scar with a roll of his eyes. Though the doctor was their newest travelling companion, it was obvious from the get-go that the man was soft-hearted and full of remorse for his past actions…which he supposed was one of the reasons he rescued the doctor in the first place.

Shifting his gaze to the other two, he demanded, "I specifically told you to wait."

"It's not my fault, sir!" defended Yoki, using his elbow to jab towards the young girl. "She ran off!"

"Good thing I did, because I found a pie and the nice lady gave it to us!" said May with a bright smile.

 _May runs off and Yoki follows because he does not want to be blamed for her disappearance and left alone. Also typical._

"We're going to need more than pie," said Scar flatly. "It's not going to give us enough energy for our next mission." When the girl's smile dimmed, he felt the need to add, "We'll save it for later."

"The lady I treated recommended a pub to me," spoke Marcoh, gesturing further into the village. "She knows of our…financial situation, shall we say, and told us to tell the owner she sent us and we'll be taken care of."

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked May in excitement. She grabbed Marcoh's hand and started tugging him down the street. "Let's eat!" She then turned around and glared at Yoki, catching him the act of trying to take out a piece of pie. "Don't even think about it, Mr. Yoki!"

Scar followed after them, posture relaxing ever so slightly. Kimblee was in pursuit and none of them were certain of what the future would hold, or even if there would be a future waiting for them. But right now, in this moment, things were…peaceful.

It's been a long time since he'd been at peace. To think such a freeing feeling would be because of his time with such a rag-tag group.


End file.
